At the sound of the bell, Shimoya realized that their lunch break had ended. "Time sure flew by fast. I lost track of it while talking to you," said Shimoya with a smile.
I still can't believe how beautiful she is. Even her smile has changed… it's really cute, Ryner thought to himself as his heart started racing.
"Let's head back to class," said Ryner, and Shimoya nodded in response. As Shimoya, Ryner, Rita, and Thomas were about to leave the lunch spot, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of five boys.
"Hey sweetie, I didn't notice how beautiful you are," said one of the boys.
"We literally used to sit beside each other in class, Tyler," said Shimoya, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, I know. Say, wanna come hang out with me and the guys? We'll show you a far better time than this loser," Tyler said as he leaned in closer and wrapped his arm around Shimoya.
"Thanks, but I'll pass. Who would want to hang out with an idiot like you?" Shimoya said firmly as she pushed Tyler away from her. "Now buzz off before I get mad. I'm not interested."
"I bet that hurt his ego," said Thomas with a smirk.
Tyler's friends burst into laughter, which only made Tyler angrier and more embarrassed. "Listen to me. No one talks to me like that and gets away with it," he growled as he grabbed Shimoya's arm and tried to drag her away.
"Let go of me! You're going to break my hand—it hurts!" Shimoya cried, clearly in pain.
"Don't worry. I promise you I'll show you a good time, so just relax," said Tyler with a twisted grin.
"Let go of her, Tyler," said Ryner, his voice stern.
Tyler stopped, turned around, and said, "Did you say something, loser, or am I hearing things?"
"You heard me. Did I stutter? Let her go," Ryner repeated.
Tyler's friends began laughing hysterically as they surrounded Ryner.
"What's going on? What are they doing?" asked Rita in a worried tone.
Tyler released his grip on Shimoya and walked over to Ryner. "Looks like I need to put you in your place again, Ryner. I'll show you what happens when you mess with me. I'm going to beat you so hard, you'll wish you never opened that big mouth of yours," he said, cracking his knuckles.
"I'm not afraid of you, Tyler. This isn't like when we were freshmen," Ryner replied as he raised his fist.
"Hahaha, don't make me laugh. What makes you think you can take on all five of us when you can't even beat me one-on-one, punk?" Tyler scoffed.
"Just shut the hell up and let's get this over with," said Ryner as he went for a sneak attack and punched Tyler right in the gut, causing him to fall to his knees and clutch his stomach in pain.
Ryner then followed up with a punch to Tyler's face, knocking him flat on the ground. As Ryner was about to land another blow, Tyler's friends stepped in and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"You bastard! How dare you punch Tyler?" yelled one of Tyler's friends as he started kicking Ryner.
The rest joined in, kicking Ryner in the stomach and face as he struggled to protect himself with his arms.
"Ryner, no! You guys, stop! You're going to kill him!" cried Shimoya as she rushed over to help. But Tyler, now back on his feet, slapped her hard across the face, causing her to fall and pass out.
"Shut up, bitch," Tyler snarled. "You're so dead, Ryner. I'm gonna make you hurl for what you did."
"Hold the bastard up. I'm going to make him my punching bag," Tyler ordered.
His friends grabbed Ryner and restrained his arms so he couldn't fight back. Tyler then began punching Ryner in the gut repeatedly, each hit drawing a scream of pain.
"This is what you get for messing with me!" Tyler yelled as he continued the brutal assault, eventually causing Ryner to throw up.
"Oh no, Ryner! I have to do something. He'll die at this rate," said Rita as she floated over, rage burning in her eyes. She landed a solid kick to Tyler's upper torso, sending him flying into some nearby debris.
"What the hell did I just witness? Tyler, are you okay?" asked one of his friends, panic setting in.
"What was that? How did it even happen?" Tyler asked, dazed as he held the back of his head.
Rita didn't stop. She turned and punched each of Tyler's friends in the gut with all her might, dropping them one by one.
"What the hell is happening? I feel like I was punched, but no one's there!" one of them said, his voice trembling with fear.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" another shouted, and the rest of them scrambled away.
"This isn't over, creep!" Tyler spat before turning and limping off after them.